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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28241775">But now it's Christmas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ra_chelB/pseuds/Ra_chelB'>Ra_chelB</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Queen (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Biarritz, Bubble Bath, Children, Christmas, Christmas Presents, Cuddles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Holidays, Insecurity, John hides in Biarritz with his family, Married Couple, Married Life, Other, Phone Calls &amp; Telephones, Reconciliation, but he doesn't forget about his friends, he's struggling a bit but veronica is there to help</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:42:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28241775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ra_chelB/pseuds/Ra_chelB</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Christmas 1989.<br/>After the Magic Tour, John and Veronica decided to work on their marriage and they found a safe nest in Biarritz, France. This year they're in Biarritz to celebrate Christmas all together and, despite the difficulties of his life, John will find solace among the people he loves the most.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury (mentioned), John Deacon/Veronica Tetzlaff, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>But now it's Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Despite being true that John and Veronica took extended vacations in Biarritz to heal their marriage, I have no idea if they ever spent a Christmas there and if yes when, so just take this as it is: just fiction.<br/>It took me a lot to write but it still feels a bit messy, so forgive me if it's not as good as last year's fic (Which I suggest you to take a look at if you already didn't!)<br/>I hope you'll enjoy this anyway!<br/>And Happy Holidays to you all!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>22nd December 1989</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Biarritz, France</strong>
</p><p>The door flung open and Veronica didn't even have the time to step in that all her four children ran inside, ready to start their usual fight to conquer the best bedrooms.</p><p>"Children, please! Go help your father!" She scolded them, earning a choir of "Yes mom" before they ran out the door to help John with the luggages.</p><p>The Queen's bassist had bought this house a couple of years before, when he got back from the exhausting Magic Tour and decided to start working on saving his marriage and his family instead of letting it crumble completely in the whirlwind that was his life. He was at the rock bottom, they all were, but John was more stubborn than that and if at first he and Veronica had almost agreed on a divorce he stomped his feet and decided to fight for his family and make up for all the time lost on tour and while recording.</p><p>Biarritz had become their safe haven, a chill place where the kids could play, swim and have fun while their parents relaxed, talked and slowly got comfortable around each other as they used to be. And it was working wonderfully, John has never been so happy while being with his family and he waited eagerly for every pause from the studio to go back and just be a dad. </p><p>They started coming here on holiday during summer and it was working so wonderfully that this time they decided to come back also for Christmas, the first Christmas in Biarritz. </p><p>"Careful Rob, there are glass decorations in that box!" </p><p>"'Kay dad!" Their eldest son picked up the cardboard box full of decorations and stepped inside, dodging his siblings.</p><p>This has been John's idea as well: bringing some decorations from their home in London instead of buying everything brand new, "So it feels more like home" he said. </p><p>The Deacons spent the rest of the day settling down, unpacking their stuff and decorating the house for Christmas: John, Robert and Michael put some fairy lights in the garden while Veronica, Laura and Joshua took care of the house's interiors, especially of the big synthetic tree John had newly bought specifically for that home.</p><p>Seeing the whole family collaborating and helping each other made John and Ronnie's hearts glow with a new light and pride, the joy of Christmas finally shining bright after another difficult year and leaving the darkness behind.</p><p> </p><p>After dinner they all sat on the sofa to watch a movie and Ronnie started zapping between channels.</p><p>"Stop, mom! I know that movie!" Michael yelled pointing at the tv, but his face contorted with disappointment as he realised that the movie was obviously in French.</p><p>"Ugh, why does it have to be in French? Can't they just… put French subtitles instead?" He snorted. </p><p>"Because we're in France, dumbass!" Laura replied and stuck out her tongue, making their parents gasp.</p><p>"Laura, watch your mouth!" John gave a little smack behind his daughter’s head, but it was useless since the girl kept arguing with her brother.</p><p>"Mike's just jealous that I'm better than him with French!"</p><p>"Who stole my History notes last time, huh?" The boy barked back, raising his voice. </p><p>"Laura, you did what?" Her parents were shocked, she was a very good student and this revelation wasn’t pleasing at all.</p><p>“I gave them back, they were useless anyway, donkey!” The girl crossed her arms and gave Michael a defiant look while John couldn’t help but chuckle.</p><p>“Kids, please!” Ronnie rolled her eyes and let out a loud groan as she stood from the sofa and rummaged in the VHS box.</p><p>"What about watching a movie from our own repertoire?" </p><p>"Yes!!!" Joshua jumped on the sofa as he saw what videocassette his mom had chosen, his eyes shining because he loved that movie to bits.</p><p>"<em> Bedknobs and Broomsticks </em> again?" Although Robert loved the movie as well, he was getting a bit tired of watching it every Christmas and he knew Joshua would've kept trying to animate objects with the movie’s magic spells for days and days after that... but it was a tradition in their family so, with a glance from his mother, Robert nodded and gave up, inevitably ending up loving to watch the movie all together.</p><p> </p><p>---*---</p><p>
  <strong>24th December 1989</strong>
</p><p>The next couple of days passed in a blink.<br/>
There was a soft layer of snow in their garden and of course it became the perfect playground for everyone, first as a battlefield for a snowball fight -which Ronnie insisted for a boys vs girls match to prove a point… and won- and then as a white canvas for creating snow sculptures like slides, igloos and snowmen. </p><p>In the Christmas’ Eve’s afternoon Ronnie went out with her eldest sons to buy the last groceries for dinner, and John was home with Laura and little Joshua, both focused on drawing something while he was finishing a book. </p><p>When Joshua walked to the bathroom, John lifted his eyes from the book and took a glance at Laura’s artwork.</p><p>“What are you doing, princess?” </p><p>“I'm drawing you and mommy." She replied, still very focused. John moved his chair next to her and looked at the drawing, his heart flipping in his chest as he saw himself with a bass hanging on his shoulder and Veronica sat on an armchair with a big round belly. They were both smiling and looking at each other.</p><p>"I have yet to draw the background, this is the armchair we have at home in London." Laura explained. She was young but already very good at art, exactly like her mother.</p><p>"Is mommy expecting another baby?" John tilted his head and pointed at drawn-Veronica.</p><p>"Hmm... it's Joshua, I think." She nodded.</p><p>"Oh, I see. Is this for school?"</p><p>"Yes, our art teacher wants us to draw our parents doing their jobs so I made you play the bass and mom... is a mom! She said to <em> draw our parents, </em>not the whole family, but I didn't know how to draw mom being a mom so I made her pregnant." </p><p>Pragmatism ran in all the Deacon kids, and Laura, even being the most creative one, explained her artistic choices without too many frills. </p><p>"That makes sense." John patted Laura's shoulder and she gave him a smile.</p><p>"And now?" The girl had started to draw pink hearts around drawn-John and he asked about it.</p><p>"You're playing a love song to mommy." </p><p>"That's so cute, Laura, I love it." He gave his daughter a side hug and kissed her temple while his heart melted.</p><p>"I'm happy that you and mom don't hate each other anymore." Laura let out all of a sudden, in a whisper, and looked directly in his eyes.</p><p>John could see Veronica in every line of her face, she was her exact reflection except for her eyes, greenish grey like his. </p><p>And after a few years he still felt guilty of almost breaking his family apart, even if both him and Ronnie have done their best to fix it.</p><p>"We didn't hate each other, princess, we were just a bit confused and… scared of the future. But we're good now, I still love mom and I love you all, I'll never leave you." He tried to reassure her with a tighter hug and she nuzzled her nose against his fuzzy jumper, hugging him back.</p><p>"Well, I'm happy about that! Thank you dad."</p><p>"Hey I want a hug too!" Joshua came back from the bathroom to find his dad hugging Laura and ran to join them, jumping on John's lap to hug him as well. </p><p>Moments like these were worth every tear shed for them, and John was proud to be there, laughing with his kids in his arms.</p><p> </p><p>When Ronnie and the other boys came back with the groceries they all joined each other to prepare a perfect dinner for Christmas' Eve, their teamwork always efficient despite the bickerings between siblings. "Nothing worse than Queen's studio sessions" John thought with a grin. </p><p>John and Laura showed Ronnie her drawing and she almost cried, it hasn't been easy for her as well to handle John's crazy life and every time their children showed how grateful they were for their efforts, she couldn't help but get emotional. Another group hug was owed to everyone.</p><p>After dinner, with their bellies full and their hearts joyful, they gathered in front of the fireplace, some sitting on the sofa and some on the carpet under the Christmas tree: a Monopoly match was about to begin.</p><p>"Remember kids, behave well or Santa won't bring you any gift tonight!" Ronnie declaimed and a chorus of groans raised in response, wondering how a single Monopoly match could've turned the tides for their Christmas presents.</p><p>"The same applies to you, mom!" John glanced at her and playfully stuck his tongue out, making her laugh. </p><p>And so the match began, with Robert brilliantly playing a strategy worth of the best managers in London and Michael being unlucky with the cards but somehow surviving.</p><p>Ronnie was a strong rival, it took her years to learn how to be good at playing Monopoly but once she got the board under her hands now it was very hard to escape her properties. </p><p>John just had fun and went with the flow, he loved playing Scrabble with his bandmates on tour, rivaling with Brian on the longest and most technical words or surprising Roger with unpredicted swears, and he loved playing Monopoly with his family simply to spend some time all together and look at their faces showing the full spectrum of emotions.</p><p>Joshua was still learning and he was often the match's banker, keeping track of the money and checking if everyone was doing their game correctly. Laura was the queen of luck at every game, and this Christmas' Eve was no exception. </p><p>The match was wild and quite long, John had even time to prepare a warm mug of chocolate milk for everyone before the night. </p><p>Much to everyone's surprise, Robert's strategy soon began to crumble under their eyes and he was the first one to go bankrupt. He was quite upset at first, but then teamed up with his mom to give her a hand. Laura's luck abandoned her and she was the second to go, followed shortly after by Michael.</p><p>Now the match was between John and Veronica, but she had managed to buy all the stations and the three most expensive properties, plus some more. </p><p>"I should give this match to you honey, I'm stuck!" John ended up surrendering and shook her hand like a professional chess player.</p><p>They all cheered for Ronnie's victory and celebrated before going to sleep, not forgetting to leave some milk and cookies on the table for Santa.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn't that late and before going to do Santa's job and place the gifts under the tree, John and Ronnie decided to take a bath together once they had put the kids to sleep.</p><p>They loved the big bathtub they had here in Biarritz, it had enough space for two people, bubbles and lights, and John let Ronnie arrange the bathroom to be cozy and romantic. This time she had placed some red candles with holly all around and a few sticky decorations on the mirrors and windows, matching the holiday vibes with the rest of the house. </p><p>Taking warm baths together before going to sleep had been part of their process of healing, a more intimate and relaxing time they both enjoyed a lot. </p><p>John took off his clothes first and tested the water's temperature, and soon after Ronnie joined him, immediately laying in his arms. </p><p>They talked a bit about the Monopoly match and what they did during the day while being apart, finding joy in the little things done together and sharing their thoughts about their children.</p><p>Small talks, glimpses of the quiet normal life they both had longed for.</p><p>"Oh, Mack called today while you were out, he said hello and Merry Christmas." John remembered, switching topic. The phone was often busy those days with every friend and colleague sending their greetings.</p><p>"Thanks! I hope he'll like the gifts we made for his little one." Ronnie chuckled, thinking about their godson.</p><p>She loved making gifts, even if she wasn't one to brag about being rich she loved being able to spend some money to make others happy with nice and useful presents without worrying too much. Of course the best gifts were all reserved for her kids and her husband, especially during birthdays and Christmas, which was her favourite holiday.</p><p>"Don't forget to call Freddie tomorrow, ok?" She tried to sound casual, but when she lifted her head to look in her husband's eyes, she saw that dark shade obscuring their light as soon as she mentioned the singer. Her heart broke every time that shadow apeared, but she had to do this.</p><p>"Should I… should we call him?" His heartbeat got louder and he suddenly felt uncomfortable, a grip in his throat and the desire to change the topic again.</p><p>"Of course, John… You know how much it means." Ronnie brushed her hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes, his arms tightening the grip around her as to steady himself.</p><p>"I know it's hard for you, love, I'll be right there and the kids too, we're all saying hi to Freddie, ok? It's Christmas, hearing your voice will make him so happy." She went on, slowly scratching the back of his head in a soothing gesture and giving him a sad smile.</p><p>John nodded and looked away, losing in his own thoughts. In the last couple of years he had found relief in hiding away with his family, meeting the band only to record and for official events as Freddie started showing the first signs of his illness and he struggled to witness it with his own eyes. </p><p>He wasn't ready to lose Freddie, he was too scared, and the singer understood. They were soul brothers after all, and the singer knew how John's mind and heart worked, his distance meant how much he cared and suffered for him. There was deep love and care in their respectful silence.</p><p>But a phone call at Christmas could be done, he thought, with no need to talk about albums and work and health.</p><p>"Can we not talk about him now, please?" The bassist murmured.</p><p>"Only if you promise me you'll call him tomorrow. You, not me." She pushed him softly. It was necessary to move him a little, give him that hint of courage he needed to pick up the phone and dial the number himself and not delegate it to Ronnie once again. It was Christmas, after all, and hearing John's voice was the best gift Freddie could receive. </p><p>"Ok." He accepted, squeezing her arm underwater. </p><p>"It's going to be fine, Johnny." She whispered and gave him a long kiss, knowing that was a beautiful lie but it was all she could do to make him feel better, to be there and give him a safe place for his heart.</p><p>She was the only one in his family to know about Freddie and it was for John's best, he needed her shoulder to cry on and her arms to not fall apart.</p><p>But now he wanted to change the topic, to stop thinking about his best friend and his illness, and so Veronica opted for a lighter and more Christmas-y topic instead almost as she was reading his mind.</p><p>"So… tomorrow should I wear the red and white dress or the golden one?" She said casually and for John it was taking a breath of fresh air after being choked.</p><p>"I want to wear that ugly Santa sweater you gave me last year, so I guess the red one would match better!" He smiled just a bit, a smile that his wife cherished while she adjusted herself in his arms, pressing her back against his chest and laying her head on his shoulder.</p><p>"Fine, I'll keep the golden one for New Year's eve then… with red lingerie of course." She gave him a playful wink and a flirty side-eye.</p><p>"I prefer you without lingerie, but red sounds nice anyway." John kissed her shoulder, her skin warm and soft thanks to the scented soap.</p><p>"Oh, the feeling's mutual." She hummed while John kept kissing all over her shoulders and neck, his big hands winding around her waist to hug her better.</p><p>He closed his eyes, his nose grazing her skin and her hair, his hands and his whole body feeling her shapes on top of him, forgetting about everything else. </p><p>In the latest years he had learned to love her again, to love how her body had changed as well as his, to love her reactions every time he made contact with her, to love being intimate together again after having been almost strangers for a while. </p><p>She was like home, warm and safe.</p><p>Although she was enjoying the feeling of John's skin against hers and the warm bath surrounding them, Ronnie was starting to feel sleepy and she knew the following day was going to be a blast, so she turned herself on John's lap and lazily kissed his cheeks.</p><p>"We should put the presents down and then go to sleep, honey." </p><p>"Mmh, five more minutes…" he groaned like a sleepy kid and Ronnie chuckled, her hands grazing his hairy chest.</p><p>"Ok, but only five minutes, we need to rest for tomorrow. It's Christmas and the kids are going to destroy us." </p><p>A wide smile grew on John's lips, already picturing her and the kids opening the presents he made for them and felt a bubble of joy growing in his guts, the need of hugging his wife again now because he was happy and not sad. </p><p>"I love you so much, Ronnie." He said out loud and peppered her face with kisses, making her laugh. A laugh that felt like home. </p><p>"I love you too, John, but we should really get out from this bathtub!" She giggled, trying to escape his arms until he finally surrendered and they got out together, drying themselves and putting on their pyjamas, obviously Christmas themed.</p><p> </p><p>They tiptoed to their room, took the presents out of the wardrobe where they hid them and sneaked into the living room, being careful to not make any noise.</p><p>Years earlier Robert woke up and caught them red-handed, it hasn't been easy to explain to him that <em> they </em> were Santa Claus while he sobbed huge tears, and it hasn't been easy to convince him to keep the secret to his siblings.</p><p>Michael found out shortly after at school and demanded for an explanation, betrayal raging in his eyes, and they had to ask him for silence as well since both Laura and Joshua, now respectively 10 and 6 but younger at the time, still believed in Santa Claus and deserved to live the magic some more. Veronica had the feeling that now Laura was beginning to suspect something as well and that a third confession was getting closer. </p><p>"I think that was the last one." John whispered, counting the colorful boxes under the tree while Ronnie took the last sip of milk.</p><p>At least doing Santa's job always rewarded them with milk, cookies and lots of satisfaction, that was sure.</p><p>They took a step back to admire the tree illuminated by flickering fairy lights and the fireplace's dim light in the darkness of their living room, everything seemed so perfect and John winded an arm around Veronica's waist, holding her close. </p><p>"Let's go to sleep." She suggested lovingly rubbing his back and he nodded, following her to their bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>---*---</p><p>
  <strong>25th December 1989</strong>
</p><p>"Mommy mommy MOMMY!!! DADDY!!!"</p><p>"Josh, please stop!"</p><p>When both John and Ronnie opened their eyes they found all four of their children in their bedroom: Joshua crawling on their bed to wake them up, Laura at Ronnie's bedside shaking with excitement, Michael trying to pull Josh down the bed and Robert at the door impatiently rolling his eyes.</p><p>"The tree is full of presents! There's a mountain of presents!!!" Josh kept yelling and trying to escape his brother's arms.</p><p>"We can't open them without you two!" Laura explained with her eyes shining, and so their parents crawled out of bed, asking for a moment to get dressed for the day.</p><p>As promised, John put on a pair of dark jeans and a warm Christmas sweater with reindeers on it, and Ronnie put on black stockings and a red dress with white decorations that made her look a bit like Santa herself.</p><p> </p><p>"Ah, ah!" Robert held his hands on his hips and looked at his parents with a sly glare as they walked in the living room, tilting his head and motioning something above them. </p><p>When John and Veronica looked up they noticed a small twig of mistletoe badly attached to the door frame with some tape right above their heads.</p><p>From the impatient looks on their kids' faces it must've been their job before waking them up. </p><p>They eyed each other and smiled, seeing their kids being so excited about them always made every effort to stay together worth it. </p><p>"Who of you made it?" Ronnie asked, laughing out loud when the kids pointed at each other with no order.</p><p>"Well, guess we can't say no, can we?" She smiled at John, who was lovingly looking at her.</p><p>He didn't reply, just leaned forward and locked his lips with hers, also softly cupping her cheeks with his hands. </p><p>Laura squealed and clapped her hands and Josh let out a mocking "eww" more for fun than for actual disgust, while Rob and Mike glanced at each other proud of their parents.</p><p>It's been Robert's idea to put the mistletoe up there and he was more than happy to see his siblings being so glad to help with the plan.</p><p>When the couple parted, Ronnie's cheeks were flushed and John hugged her with amusement, winking at the children.</p><p>Ronnie put on the kettle for breakfast and they all collected under the tree to unwrap their presents. Of course the children got most of them, but John and Ronnie didn't forget to make some presents for each other and they also brought some from their friends when they moved to Biarritz, with the promise of opening them on Christmas day.</p><p> </p><p>As the kids started playing with their new toys, John unwrapped a gift made by his wife and she nervously waited for his reaction.</p><p>"I… I know maybe it's not as beautiful as the ones your mom made, but I tried my best." She said and John took a moment to admire his gift: a handmade sleeveless vest, one of the kind he always loved to wear, warm and comfy. It was on the tones of greys, sage green and light blue, with simple geometric motifs, and it was beautiful. </p><p>He moved his awed gaze from the vest to Veronica.</p><p>"I made it while you were at the studio this year, I hope you like it…" She smiled sheepishly and John's mouth flung open.</p><p>She was good at knitting but she had never knitted anything more than scarves or blankets, and yet this vest was perfect and clearly made with love.</p><p>"It's so beautiful, Ronnie, I… I love it, thank you! Can't wait to show it off to the guys!" He gave her a radiant smile and a kiss, immediately changing his jumper with the new vest and making a small show for the children.</p><p>After some jewels and clothes gifted by some friends and by her husband, Ronnie opened the box with John's most important gift last, accordingly to him. </p><p>"What is… ohh!" She gasped loudly, earning the kids' attention, and John chuckled. "A new camera?!" </p><p>"Yes! It's a bit more professional than the older one you have, I made some research before buying it." He declared, recalling his long conversations with Brian to find out the perfect one for her.</p><p>She carefully unboxed her new camera and tried handling it: it was bigger and a bit heavier than her previous one but it made her feel like a professional photographer and it was super exciting.</p><p>In no time she put a roll in it and began taking pics of that wonderful Christmas morning, going on the whole day and whispering an awed <em> thank you </em> to her husband every now and then. </p><p>The rest of the day was hectic and blissful, they spent hours playing with the children's new toys and making phone calls with relatives and friends. Of course Ronnie took a moment to watch the Pope's speech and blessing on TV since they didn't go to the midnight mass, and then reprised the Christmas activities all together. </p><p> </p><p>"John…" It was late afternoon and the kids were watching a new movie on videocassette -a gift from Roger- when Veronica got her husband's attention and held his hand.</p><p>"You should call him now." She smiled and he immediately got what she meant, nodding in agreement. </p><p>The bassist picked up the phone and dialed Garden Lodge's number, an uneasy feeling growing in his belly but tamed by Ronnie's reassuring presence at his side.</p><p>'God bless her.' He thought, when someone replied to the phone.</p><p><em>"Hello, Garden Lodge here, Peter Freestone speaking."</em> A familiar voice spoke, feeling like a friendly hug.</p><p>"Hi Phoebe, I'm John!" He replied a bit nervously. </p><p>
  <em>"Deaky! How good to hear you, Merry Christmas!" </em>
</p><p>"Merry Christmas to you too, I hope you're having a nice day."</p><p><em>"We are! Wanna hear Freddie?"</em> Phoebe seemed excited to give the phone to the singer and John felt nervous again, his brain beginning to heavily overthink.</p><p>"Uhm yes please, if he's not busy…" </p><p><em>"Taking photos of his cats on Jim's lap is not what I'd call </em>being busy<em>, I'll call him!" </em></p><p>Phoebe laughed and an unexpected smile appeared on John's lips as he pictured the scene in his mind, and after a moment he heard Freddie's unmistakable greetings. </p><p>
  <em>"Deaky! I'm so happy to hear your voice!"</em>
</p><p>"Same for me, Freddie! How… how are you?" </p><p>
  <em>"It's great, we're having a lovely and quiet Christmas here. And you? How are Ronnie and the deaklings?"</em>
</p><p>John eyed Ronnie at his side and she gave him a reassuring nod, happy to hear Freddie as well.</p><p>"Kids are watching a movie now, they've been playing all day. Ronnie's here." Without hesitation he handed the phone to his wife.</p><p>"Hi Freddie, Merry Christmas!" </p><p><em>"Ronnie!"</em> Freddie squealed. He was always so grateful to that woman for taking care of Deaky and blessing them all with their wonderful kids. </p><p><em>"I really wanted to thank you for your jumper, it's beautiful! It's too big for me now but fits perfectly on Jim, is it still valid if I snuggle with him wearing it?"</em> She could hear him smiling from his voice alone.</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry… but yeah, of course it's valid! I should make you another one then." She blushed and heard Freddie clapping in excitement. </p><p><em>"You know I'll adore it, darling! Did you open my present?"</em> He asked, eagerly waiting. Knowing Veronica’s passion for art and Japan he gave her an original Japanese print. She loved it, already imagining it in their bedroom in London.</p><p>“Of course! It’s wonderful, Freddie, thank you!” </p><p>They exchanged a couple of greetings again and Ronnie gave the phone to her husband, so they kept chatting some more about Christmas and about the presents they got like schoolmates that didn't hang out for a while and talked about simple things to keep each other updated. John felt relieved they didn't talk too much about future plans and just enjoyed Freddie's always gleeful voice. </p><p>Before hanging up he called all the kids to say hello to uncle Freddie and Jim, Phoebe and Joe, and then gave him a goodbye. </p><p> </p><p>"You okay love?" Veronica asked, placing a hand on John's arm and he let out a relieved sigh. Hearing Freddie so gleeful and surrounded by his family warmed his heart and wiped away the dark smokey thoughts from his brain, it was all ok now. </p><p>"Yes, I'm glad he's well." He smiled and Ronnie gave him a warm kiss, a small reward for overcoming his fears. </p><p>"Me too." </p><p>John looked around, admiring the Christmas decorations in the house, the huge tree and the mess of packages, gifts and toys scattered almost everywhere.</p><p>The snow outside and the fairy lights glowing in the garden. The joyful greetings of his friends still reverberating in his ears, and his wife at his side, the kids on the sofa calling mom and dad to join them. </p><p>He closed his eyes for a moment and when he reopened them everything was still there, waiting for him. </p><p>It was Christmas, after all. Thank God was Christmas, and being there with the people he loved the most was the most beautiful gift life could've made to him. </p><p>John smiled and finally, with his heart full of joy, he joined his family on the sofa ready to watch another movie all together.</p><p>---*---</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
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